Topics Covered: Issues related to health.
WHO classifies India variant as being of global concern:
Context:
The World Health Organization has classified B.1.617, a coronavirus variant first identified in India as a “global variant of concern”.
- This variant was classified as a variant under investigation (VUI) by authorities in the UK earlier in May.
- It has already spread to more than 17 countries.
Concerns for India:
Last week, the Indian government said that this variant also called the “double mutant variant” could be linked to a surge in the cases of coronavirus seen in some states.
How do variants of a virus emerge and why?
- Variants of a virus have one or more mutations that differentiate it from the other variants that are in circulation.
- Essentially, the goal of the virus is to reach a stage where it can cohabitate with humans because it needs a host to survive.
- Errors in the viral RNA are called mutations, and viruses with these mutations are called variants. Variants could differ by a single or many mutations.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus:
It is evolving fast because of the scale at which it has infected people around the world. High levels of circulation mean it is easier for the virus to change as it is able to replicate faster.
- The B.1.617 variant of the virus has two mutations referred to as E484Q and L452R. Both are separately found in many other coronavirus variants, but they have been reported together for the first time in India.
How does the WHO define a variant of concern?
A variant of interest (VOI) becomes a variant of concern (VOC) in two ways:
- First, if, through a comparative assessment, it has been demonstrated to be associated with increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology, increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation or a decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics.
- Alternatively, a variant may be classified as a VOC by the WHO in consultation with the WHO SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution Working Group.
Sources: Indian Express.
